Liquefied-air container for refrigerating purposes



Patented May 30, |899.

E. C; HARGRAVE.

(Application med July 25, 1598A LIQUEFIED AIR CONTAINER FOR REFRIGERATING PURPOSES.

(No Model.)

of the liquefied air be refrigerated.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD C. HARGRAVE, OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

`LIQUEFlED-AIR'CONTAINER FOR R'EFRIGERATING PURPOSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,760, dated May 30, 1899.

I Application filed July 25, 1898. Serial Noy 686,833. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWARD C. IIARGRAVE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improve-l ments in Liquefied-Air Containers for Refrigerating Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ap parat-us or means designed particularly for utilizing liquefied atmospheric air or gas for refrigerating purposes by which clean dry cold can be delivered tothe apartment or space to be refrigerated-such las the room of a building, a

domestic refrigerator, a railway-car, or any other structure wherein a low temperature is desired.

The chief object of my invention is to provide a new and improved liquefied-air containerpossessing such characteristic features of construction that the contents are maintained in a liquefied state by excluding the heated atmosphere from the walls ofthe container and providing for the escape .of the evaporating air in the latter in contradistinction to maintaining the air or gas liquefied by excessive pressure within the container.

The invention also has for its object to provide a liquefied-air container wherein the air is maintained in a liquefiedstate by excluding heated atmosphere from the walls of the container and providing for the escape of the evaporatingfair in the latter and the liquefied air can be withdrawn from the bottom of the container for refrigerating purposes.

The invention also has for its object to provide a liquefied-air container wherein the air is maintained in a liquefied state by excluding heated atmosphere from the walls of the container and providing for the escape of the evaporating air in the latter and the delivery from the bottom of the container for refrgerating purposes is automatically regulated according to the temperature in the apartment, chamber, or shane to The invention also has for its object to proyide a liquefied-air container-with au enveloping casing or jacket and means whereby the transmission of heat from the exterior to and through the ycasing or jacket and the container may be varied for the purpose of accelerating or retarding the evaporation of the liquefied air, according to the conditions required or circumstances render advisable. 'v These objects are accomplished in the man ner and by the means hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a broken sectional elevation of a liquefied-air container constructed in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, looking in a direction at right angles to the side represented in Fig. l.

In order to enable those skilled in the n rt to make and use myinvention, I will now de scribe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein The numeral l indicates a tank constitu-ting'the receptacle of the container. This ltank is preferably composed of glass; but it may be made of any material suitable for the purpose in hand. The liquefied air or gas, such as oxygen or atmospheric air, is obtained by reducing through the medium of high pressure and reduction of temperature, as is known, and this liquefied air is introduced into the tank to be utilized for refrigerating purposes by delivering the same, as required, into an apartment, chamber, room, or space which is to be rethe same to a liquid state frigerated--as, for example, into the room of a building, domestic refrigerator, railway-car, Steamship, or any other structure wherein very low temperature is desired.

, The top wall of the tank is constructed with a tubular neck or mouth, by which the liquefied air may be introduced and through which theevaporated air may escape to lower the temperature outside and-avoid excessive eX- ternal pressure, which would likely burst the tank. The top, bottom, and side walls of the tank are surrounded bya nonfconducting casing or jacket 2, composed-of felt, rock-wool,

or other material suitable for the purpose in to exclude heat frolnthe' hand-that is to say, Walls of the tank and thus preserve thelatter at" a low temperature, which, in connection with the-escape of the evaporating liquefied air in the tank, maintains the liquefied air in a liquid state. The top of the casing or jacket isprovided with a cover-section 3,

A hinged thereto, as at 4, and composed of felt,

be refrigerated.

surface thereof to the action of the surroundi rock-wool, or other non-conducting material.

The cover-section is preferably provided with a fastening device by which to secure it in its closed positio'n. As represented in the drawings, the fastening is composed of a simple hook 5 and eye 6, but this is only typical of many fastening devices that may. be employed. The center of the hinged cover is provided with a section of leather or similar yielding material preferably made in the form of a disk, as at 7, and of such dimensions that when the hinged cover is in its closed position the leather disk will wholly cover the open mouth of the tubular neck at the top of the tank. This leather disk is susceptible of yielding under slight pressure, so that the evaporating liquefied air in the tank may escape between the top edge of the tubular neck and the lower su rfacc of the leather disk and flow into and through the non-conducting material of the casing or of the jacket. The bottom of the tank is provided with a discharge-valve designed for the purpose of delivering liquefied air from the tank into the apartment, chamber, room, or space to The valve is composed of a valve-casing 8 and a spring-pressed valve disk or plug 9, having its stem 10 arranged horizontally and connected at its outer end with one extremity of a bow-shaped thermostat 13, which has its other-extremity mounted on a suitable bracket 12, applied to the exterior of the nou-conducting casing or jacket'. The thermostat is made of metals of different expansibility and may be of any form tc suit the conditions required. One of the metals should be susceptible of expanding under the action of heat for the purpose of more or less opening the valve and delivering a greater or less quantity of the liquefied air into the apartment, chamber, or space which is to be ref ri gerated,and,conversel y,when the desired high temperature is obtained the expansible metal of tx thermostat will more or less contract and entirely or partially close the yal ve. -iy this means the liquefied air is gradually released from the tank and as it expands lowers the temperature where the refrigeration is desired.

The disk of leather before mentioned constitutes, in effect, a valve which permits the escape of evaporating liquefied air from the interior of the tank, and the non-conduct` ing casi'ngor jacket. excludes heat from the tank, all in such manner that the air or gas in the latter is maintained in a liquefied state without the necessity of excessive high pressure iu the tank for such purpose.

In order to accelerate or retard the evaporation of the liquefied gas in the tank according as circumstances demand, I provide the non-conducting casing or jacket with a movable section, as at 14, which may be adjusted or moved to and from a portion of the wall of the tank to more or less expose a part of the ing atmosphere. Asrepresented iu the drawings, the adjustable or movable section 14 compose-S one complete side of the non-conducting casing or jacket, and it is hinged at its upper end, as at 14", so that it may be swung in the arc of a circle to anyv position necessary to secure the desired exposure of the side of the tank where the adjustable or movable section is located. The adjustment of the section from or toward the wall of the tank more or less exposes part of the surface thereof to the action of the surrounding atmosphere, and by proper adjustment of this section the evaporation of the liquefied gas in the tank can be accelerated or retarded to suit the conditions required. When the air in the apartment, chamber, room, or space which is to be refrigerated comes in contact with the surface of the tank, a portion of thel liquefied gas is evaporated and the temperature of the surrounding air is materially lowered.

While I have represen tedthe adjustable or movable section 14 as constituting one complete side wall of the casing or jacket, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to this precise construction, for any part of the surrounding casing or jacket may be provided with an adjustable or movable section to secure the results hereinbeforev explained. The section may be adjusted or moved from or toward the outer surface of the tankthrough the medium of any suitable devices; but, as shown in the drawings, I effeet theadjustment or movement of the section automatically by the action of a thermostat 15, like or similar to the thermostat 13, which controls the discharge-valve at the bottom of the tank. '1 he thermostat 15 .islocated outside the casing or jacket, and at one en d is supported by a suitable bracket 1G, while the other-end is pivotally connected by a link 17 with the adjustable or movable section 14. When the expansible part of the thermostat expands, the section 14 will be adjusted or moved a greater or less distance away from a part of the outer surface of the tank, and', conversely,\vhen the ex pansible met-al of the thermostat contracts the section will be adjusted or moved a grater or less extent toward the said part of the surface of the tank, thereby more or less exposing a part of the surface of the tank to the action of the surrounding atmosphere and accordingly accelerating or retardiug th evaporation of the liquefied gas in the tank.

'lhe lcontainer embodying the features'or closed pipes.

container, as this may be accomplished by means other than the 4specific means illus-4 trated.

In my invention vliquefied air may be delivered directly into the space to be refrigerated, and the eciency of this method is greater than that of a system in which compressed air or gases are allowed to expand in Inmy invention there is no excessive pressure in the tank, but, on the contrary, prac tically no pressure as 'compared with the maintaining of liquefied air or gas lin a liquid state by excessive high pressure.

Having thus described my invention, what I .claim is 1. A liquefied-air container having an enveloping non-conducting casing, a liquefiedair'delivery valve at its bottom portion 'for delivering liqueiied air to the space which is to be refrigerated, and means at the top portion for the escape of evaporated liquefied air from the container,substantially as described.v

2. A liquefied-air container having. an en'- veloping non-conducting casing, a liquefiedair-delivery valve at its bottom portion for delivering liquefied air to the space which is to be refrigerated, and a valve at the top portion for the escape of evaporated liquefied air from the container,substantially as described.

3. A liquefied-air container, having an enveloping non-conducting casing, an automatically-operated liquefied-air-delivery valve at its bottom portion for delivering liquefied air at its top for thel escape of the evaporating liquefied air from the container, substantially asdescribed.

4. A liquefied-air container, having an enveloping non-conducting casing, a liquefiedair-delivery valve at its bottom portion for delivering liquefied air to the space to berefrigerated, and. a non-conducting movable cover provided with a valve located over the mouth of thetank for permitting the escape of evaporated liquefied air from the container, substantially as described.

5. A liquefied-'air container, having an envelopin g non-conducting casing, an automatically-operated liquefied-air-delivery valve at its bottom portion for delivering liquefied air to the space to be refrigerated, and a non- .conducting movable cover having a valve located over the mouthof the container for perveloping non-conducting casing,

.- stantially'asdescribed. to the space tol be refrigerated, and a valve l mitting the escape of evaporating liquefied air therefrom, substantially as described.

6. A liquefied-air container, having an ena liquefiedair-delivery 'valve at its bottom portion for delivering liquefied air to the space to be refrigerated,'and a hinged non-conductin g cover provided with a Valve located over the I,month of the container for permitting the escape of evaporating liquefied air therefrom, substantially as described. Y

7. A liquefied-air' container pro'vided'with an enveloping casing or jacket, and means whereby the transmission of heat from the exterior tothe surface of the container or liquid may be varied for the -purpose of accelerating or retarding the evaporation of the liquefied air, substantially as described.

8. A liquefied-air container havingl an enveloping non-conductingcasing,means whereby the transmission of heat from the exterior to the surface ofthe container may be varied for accelerating or retarding the evaporation of the liquefied air, a liquefied-air-deliver'y valve at the bottom portion for delivering liqueed air to the space' toberefrigerated, and means for permitting the escapeof evaporatilig liquefied a-ir from the top portion of the container, substantially as described.

9. A liquefied-air container having 'an en.

veloping non-conducting casing provided with an adjustable section for more 'orless exposing a part of the surface of the container or liquid to the action of the atmosphere, whereby the evaporationofthe liqueed'air in the container -may be accelerated or retarded, substantially as described.

` 10. A liquefied-air container having an enveloping non -condncting casing, provided with an adjustable section for more or less exposing a part o'f the surface of the container to accelerate or retard evaporation of the liquefied air therein,` a liquefied-ar-delivery valve at the bottom of the container, and a valve atthe top thereof for the escape of evaporatin'g liqueed air from the container, sub- 11. A liquefied-air container having an enveloping non conducting casing provided with an automatically-adj usted section for more or less exposing apart of the surface of the container or liquid to accelerate or retard evaporation of the liquid air in the container, substantially as described. A 12. Aliqnelied-air container, having an en- .veloping non conducting casing provided with a movable section for more or less exposing a part of the surface of the container to accelerate or retard evaporation-of the liquid air in the container, connected with said movable section to automatically move it relatively to a part of the surface of the container, substantially as described.

1,8. A liquefied-air container having an en-l veloping non conducting casing provided vwith a hinged movable section for more or and a thermostat less exposing a. part of the surface of the container or liquid to accelerate or ret-ard variation of the liquefied air, substantially as described.

14. A liquefied-air container, having an en'- veloping non -yconducting casing provided with a movable section for more or less exposing a part; of the surface of the container or liquid to accelerate or retard evaporation of the liquefied air, n lii[ueed-airde1ivery valve at the bottom of the container, and a valve at the top thereof lfor the escape of evaporating liquefied air, substantially as de- EDWARD' c. HARGRAVE.

` Witnesses:

ALBERT H. Nonms, F. B. KEEFER. 

